Electromagnetic relay with reversible switch modules

ABSTRACT

A relay having switching modules which permit the switching functions of the relay to be easily converted to provide normally open or normally closed contact functions without disturbing the wiring to the relay. The switch modules are mountable in either of two positions in individual readily accessible sockets in the relay and are actuated by a lever arrangement which acts as a stabilizer and stroke multiplier. The stroke multiplying action of the lever arrangement permits the magnet to have a small air gap and to operate with a reduced inrush current. The relay also includes a pair of plungers which are actuated by the levers and act as indicators and load balancers to prevent the switch modules from providing undesired overlapping contact functions.

United States Patent [191 Karch et al.

[ ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY WITH REVERSIBLE SWITCH MODULES Inventors: Walter C. Karch, Grafton; Kenneth J. Marien; Robert C. Mierendorf, Wauwatosa, all of Wis.

[73] Assignee: Square D Company, Park Ridge, Ill.

[451 Sept. 10, 1974 Primary Examiner-Harold Broome Attorney, Agent, or Firm-William H. Schmeling; Harold J. Rathbun [57] ABSTRACT A relay having switching modules which permit the switching functions of the relay to be easily converted to provide normally open or normally closed contact functions without disturbing the wiring to the relay. The switch modules are mountable in either of two positions in individual readily accessible sockets in the relay and are actuated by a lever arrangement which acts as a stabilizer and stroke multiplier. The stroke multiplying action of the lever arrangement permits the magnet to have a small air gap and to operate with a reduced inrush current. The relay also includes a pair of plungers which are actuated by the levers and act as indicators and load balancers to prevent the switch modules from providing undesired overlapping contact functions.

13 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENIEQSEP I 01924 v SHEET 2 0F 4 FIG.4

PATENIED SEP 1 01am SHEET 4 UP 4 ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY WITH REVERSIBLE SWITCH MODULES This invention relates to electromagnetically operated switches, such as relays, and is more particularly concerned with a relay having a structure which will permit the contact functions of the relay to be easily changed.

Relays for machine tool control and similar applications are required to provide either normally open or normally closed switching contact functions and operate reliably over a large number of switching operations. As the number of relays which may be mounted on a panel to control the operation of a machine or process may be large, it is essential that machine tool relays be compact, easy to wire and have an inter-mix of normally open and normally closed contacts. On occasion, the contact functions of relays may have to be changed after the relay is mounted and wired on a panel. In machine tool relays heretofore known, the change of the contactoperation of the relay could only be accomplished by disturbing the wire connections to the relay which is time consuming and may cause errors when more than one contact function required conversion. The contact functions of the relay according to the present invention may be easily changed by removing a cover which is secured to the front of the relay by a pair of readily accessible screws to provide access to switching modules. The switching modules are positioned in either of two reversible positions in sockets within the relayand have stationary contact structures which are movable and abut conductive strips which are included in the sockets. The conductive strips are connected to wire connecting terminals positioned at the external sides of the relay. The switch modules each have springs positioned on spring seats. The spring seats are engaged by the cover to cause the modules to provide a normallyopen or a normally closed contact function when the relay is actuated.

ltis an object of the present invention to provide a relay .with a structure including individual reversible switch modules which will permit the switching functions of the relay to be converted without disturbing the wiring to therelay.

Another object is to provide a relay structure which is compact, easy to assemble and service, and capable of providing a long, trouble-free life.

An additional object is to provide a switching module in a relay which may be mounted in either of two positions in a socket portion of the relay without disturbing any of the wire connections .to the relay with the switching module including a housing formed of two parts, a pair of stationary contacts which are mounted for movement in a cavity within the housing along an axis perpendicular to a main axis of the module, a plunger movable along the axis and carrying a movable contact which is engageable with the stationary contacts and means including a pair of springs and a pair of spring seats which are carried by the plunger and selectively engageable with portions of a cover portion of the relay for causing the module to provide a normally open or a normally closed contact function when the module is positioned in a socket provided by a support portion of the relay.

A further object is to provide a means for translating the movement of an armature to the plungers of a plurality of switching modules in a relay with the means including a pair of third class levers extending in opposite directions and each having an end pivoted on a portion of a housing part of the relay, an actuating surface on a portion of the lever that is remote from the pivoted end and a mid portion located between the pivoted end and actuating surface engaging and movable with the armature, and a plurality of plungers each having ends engaging the actuating surfaces on the levers and ends engaging plungers of switch modules for translating movements of the armature and actuating surfaces to the plungers of the switch modules.

Further objects and features of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification and from the appended drawings illustrating certain preferred embodiments, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a relay incorporating the features according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the relay in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side viewof the relay in FIG. 1 with a portion of the relay shown in section as taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1 in the direction of the indicating arrows.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing in perspective the component assemblies of the relay in FIGS. 1-3. I

FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing in perspective the components of the stationary magnet and coil assembly inFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing in perspective the components of the armature and motion translating assembly in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a switching module as used in the relay in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view showing in perspective the components of the switching module in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the relay in FIG. I with portions of the side wall of the relay broken away.

An electromagnetically operated switch or relay 10, as shown in the drawings, includes a coil and stationary magnet assembly 12, an armature and motion transmitting assembly 14, a switch assembly 16 and a cover 18, which are assembled one upon the other to provide the relay 10 which may be mounted on the panel, not shown. The coil and stationary magnet assembly 12, most clearly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, comprises a molded housing 20, a mounting plate 22, a magnet coil 24 and a stationary magnet assembly 26. The mounting plate 22 is formed as a stamped metal part to have openings 28 at its upper and lower edges which are used to secure the mounting plate to a mounting panel, not shown, with a rear surface 30 mounted adjacent the panel. The openings 28 are located in suitable rearwardly extending indentations. Centrally located on the mounting plate are a pair of indentations 32 which extend rearwardly a distance equal to that of the indentations wherein openings 28 are located so as to provide support for the midportion of the mounting plate 22 when the plate is mounted on the panel. The mounting plate 22 also includes a pair of threaded openings adjacent its bottom edge and a pair of openings adjacent its top edge. The pairs of openings at the top and the bottom edges are designated as openings 34. A pair of unequally sized notches 36 are provided in the side edges of the plate 22. The notches 36 are of unequal size and are used to index the molded housing 20 on the plate 22 when the housing 20 is mounted on the front surface of the mounting plate 22.

The stationary magnet assembly 26 includes a pair of side plates 38 and a shim 40, which are formed of nonmagnetic metal material, such as stainless steel. The assembly 26 also includes a plurality of laminated metal parts which are formed of magnetic material, four rivets 46, an elastomeric shock pad 48, and a pair of shading coils S0.

The metal parts are assembled to provide two stacks of laminated parts 52 and 54 which are spaced from each other by the shim 40 and maintained in their assembled positions by the side plates 38 and the rivets 46 to form U-shaped stationary magnet 56. The magnet 56 has a bight portion wherein the shim 40 is tightly held between the parts 52 and 54. The parts 52 and 54 also provide a pair of legs 57. The legs 57 extend to a pair of pole faces 58 having grooves wherein the shading coils are secured by a suitable adhesive. The magnet 56 has a flat rear surface 60 and the parts 52 and 54 are shaped to provide a pair of forwardly facing ledges 62. The ledges 62 extend outwardly from the outer sides of the legs 57 and are located between the rear surface 60 and the pole faces 58. The pad 48 is substantially rectangular in shape and is suitably notched so end portions 64 overlay the front surfaces of the ledges 62 and a major body portion 66 overlays the rear surface 60.

The housing 20 is preferably formed of a molded insulating material to have a rectangular shape conforming to the shape of the plate 22 and a rear side which is provided with suitable projections and indentations to accommodate the notches 36 and the raised portions of the plate surrounding the openings 34. The housing 20 has a rear wall 68 through which a rectangular centrally located passage 70 extends and a pair of side walls 72 extending forwardly from the rear wall 68. The end walls 74 are suitably notched to provide access to four counterbores 76 that are aligned with the four threaded openings 34 as well as notches 78 which expose the openings 28. Located at the opposite corners of the housing 20 is a rearwardly extending bore 80 that has a threaded insert, not shown, embedded therein. The walls of the housing 20 define a cavity 82 wherein the magnet coil 24 is positioned. The housing 20, the plate 22, the magnet coil 24, and the stationary magnet assembly 26 are assembled by positioning the stationary magnet 56 in the passageway 70 so that the portions 64 engage the rear side of the rear wall 68 to prevent the forward movement of the magnet 56 in the housing 20. The assembled magnet 56 and housing 20 are secured to the front side of the plate 22 by four screws 84 which extend in counterbores 76 and are threaded into the openings 34 to tightly position the magnet 56 as the body portion 66 of the elastomeric shock pad 48 is compressed between the rear surface 60 and the front surface of the plate 22. The magnet coil 24 is formed as an encapsulated molded part and has a configuration conforming to the cavity 82 and includes a pair of bores 86 which are aligned with the pole faces 58 and a pair of coil windings encapsulated in the molded part with each coil winding surrounding one of the bores 86 and connected to a pair of wire connecting terminals 88 which are exposed in one of the notched end walls 74. J

The armature and motion translating assembly l4, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, includes a molded housing 90, an armature 92, apair of identical armature guide members 94, a pair of identical springs 96, a member 98 extending through an opening in the armature92,

a pair of identical levers 100, a pair of identical springs 112. The legs are movable in the bores 86 from a position where the pole faces 112 are spaced from the pole faces 58 to a position wherethe'pole faces 1 12 engage the pole faces 58 when the magnet coil 24 is energized as the armature moves in a reference plane RP. The reference plane RP extends perpendicular to the rear wall 68 and is equidistantly spaced between the centers of the bores 86. The reference plane RP is illus trated by the axes RP in FIGS. 1 and 3. The bight portion 108 has a slot extending therethrough in which a central portion of the member 98 is positioned. The member 98 has portions 114 projecting from opposite sides of the armature 92. The portions 114 are received in slots 116 in the guide members 94 and are arranged to position the pair of guide members 94 on opposite sides of the armature 92.

The housing 90 has a passageway 118 extending therethrough between the front and rear ends of the housing 90 and is provided with suitable bores at a pair of its opposite corners which receive screws 120. The screws 120 are received in the threaded inserts in the bores 80 and secure the rear surface of the housing 90 to the front surface of the housing 20. The walls of the housings 20 and 90 are arranged so that the walls of the housing 90 form a continuation of the walls of the housing 20 when the housings 20 and 90 are secured together. Extending rearwardly from the bottom surface of the housing 90 are a pair of springs, not shown, which are arranged to engage surface portions of the coil 24 when the housing parts 20 and 90 are secured together. The passageway 118 is centered about the reference plane RP and extends between a pair of side walls 122 and a pair of end walls 124 of the housing 90. The passageway 118 is sized to receive the assembly consisting of the armature 92 and the member 98 with the pair of guide members 94 positioned thereon. The passageway 118 includes wall portions which are engaged by the wall portions of the members 94 to guide the movement of the armature 92 in the bores 86. The springs 96 are positioned by raised bosses 126 projecting from the front surface of the coil 24 and constantly bias the armature 92 away from the stationary magnet 56. Extending inwardly into the passage 118 from the opposite side walls 122 are ledges 128. The ledges 128 are engaged by portions of the guide members 94 to limit the rearward movement of the armature 92 and guide members 94 in the passage 118 when the housing 90 is detached from the housing 20 as when access to the coil 24 is required for replacement purposes.

Each of the levers 100 includes a pivot portion 130, an operated portion 132, a pair of spring seats 134 and an actuating portion 136 which provides an operating surface 138. The pair of levers 100 extend in opposite directions in the passageway 118 and are designated as A and B in F1616. The pivot portion of the lever 100, designated as A in FIG. 6, is provided by a pair of projecting feet having edges 140 which are positioned against'wall portions 142 provided by the end wall 124 designated as A in FIG. 6. Similarly, the pivot portion 130 ofthe lever 100, designated as B in H0. 6, is provided by a pair of projecting feet having edges 140 which are positioned against wall portions 142 in the passageway 118 provided by the end wall 124 designated as B in FIG. 6. The levers 100 have notches 144 and 146 in their sides so that the width of the operated portions 132 on the levers 100 is substantially less than the width of pivot portions 130 and the actuating portions 136. The notches 144 and 146 have a depth greater than the width of the operated portions 132 so that the levers A and B may be positioned side-by-side in interlinked relation and extend in opposite directions in the passageway 118. The spring seats 134 extend into the notches 144 and 146 from the pivot portions 130 so that the pairs of spring seats 134 on the lever A confront and are spaced from the pair of spring seats on the lever B with the spring seat 134 extending in the notch 144 on the lever A confronting the spring seat 134 in the notch 146 in the lever B and the spring seat 134 in the notch 146 in the lever A confronting the spring seat 134 in the notch 144 in the lever B. The operated portions 132 are shaped to provide a curved portion 148 that is centered in the reference plane RP and to be engaged by the front side of the bight portion 108 on the armature 92. The curved portion 148 also causes the actuating portions 136 to be spaced forwardly of the pivot portions 130 when the levers A and B are installed in the passageway 118 and the pair of springs 102 are positioned between the confronting spring seats 134 on the levers A and B.

The levers 100, when mounted in the passageway 118 will have their operating surfaces 138 movable in planes that are spaced equidistantly on opposite sides of the reference plane RP. Further, the distance of movement of the operating surfaces 138 will be greater than the distance of travel of the operated portions 132 because of the third class lever arrangement of the levers 100. 1

The cover 106 is secured to the front end of the housing 90 by internally threaded rivets, not shown. The rivets extend through a pair of bores 150 in the housing 90 and a pair of openings 152 in the cover 106. The rivets have headed rear ends engaging portions of the housing 90 and front ends which are spun over the front surface portions of the cover 106 that surround the openings 152. The cover 106 has two rows of openings extending therethrough which are centered respectively in planes 154 and 156, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The planes 154 and 156 are parallel and equidistantly spaced on opposite sides of the reference plane RP and extend in the previously mentioned planes of movement of the operating surfaces 138. The openings in the plane 154 are arranged as two pairs of openings with the openings of one pair designated as 154A and 154A, and the openings of the other pair designated as 1548 and 154B. Two pairs of openings are similarly located in the planes 156 and are designated as a pair of openings 156A and 156A and a pair of openings 156B and 1568.

Each of the four motion translators 104 includes a pair of plungers 158 which are sized and positioned by a base 160 so the plungers of each translator 104 are guided and received in a pair of openings in the planes 154 and 156. For example, the plungers designated as 158A and 158A in FIG. 6 are spaced by their associated base 160 to be received in the openings 154A and 154A when the base 160 is positioned adjacent a rear surface on the cover 106 while the pairs of plungers 158 on the remaining three translators 104 are received in the openings 154B-l54Bf, 156A-156A and 156B-156B'. The translators 104 are held captive in the motion transmitting assembly 14 when the cover 106 is secured to the housing as previously described and will have their respective base portions engaging the operating surfaces 138 and rectangularly shaped tip portions 162 on the free ends on each plunger 158 extending forwardly of the front surfaces of the cover 106.

The switch assembly 14, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 9, includes a pair of identical insulating supports 164 and 164A and a plurality of identical switches 166. One of the switches 166 is most clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

The supports 164 and 164A are secured on the front side of the cover 106 by a pair of screws 168 which are threaded into the internally threaded rivets in the openings 152 so that each of the supports 164 and 164A is secured by an individual screw 168 in a manner illustrated in FIG. 3. As the pair of supports 164 and 164A are identical, the following description of the support 164 and its associated components shown on the left in FIGS. 3 and 4 will apply to the support 164A and its associated components shown on the right in FIGS. 3 and 4. The supports 164, when mounted on cover 106, will have flat abutting walls 170 positioned along the plane RP and a plurality of sockets longitudinally extending side by side in a row along axes that are perpendicular to the plane RP.

In the embodiment shown, the support 164 has four identical rectangularly shaped sockets designated as 172A, 13, C and D, with each socket having an open front end 174 and extending rearwardly in the support 164 to an open rear end. The wall 170 provides one of the end walls of the sockets 172A-D and a wall 176 provides the other end wall of the sockets 172A-D. A pair of partitions 178, the side walls of the support 164, and a pier 182 extending between the end walls 170 and 176 provide the side walls for the sockets 172A-D. The end walls 170 and 176 are spaced so that the center of each socket 172A-D is located in the plane 154. The partitions 178 and the pier 182 are spaced between the side walls 180 so that the center of each socket is axially aligned with the centers of the tip portions 162 on one of the plungers 158. The partitions 178 and the pier 182 further are arranged so that the sockets 172A and 172D are located adjacent the side walls 180 and the sockets 172B and 172C are located on opposite sides of the pier 182 wherein a bore which receives one of the screws 168 is located.

Extending between the front and the rear ends of the pier 182 is a passage which receives a spring biased plunger 184. The plunger 184 is movable in the passage along an axis extending in the plane 154 in the same manner as the plunger 184 in support 164 is movable in the plane 156. The plungers 184 in both supports 164 and 164A have a rear end engaging the operating surfaces 138 so as to be movable therewith.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, a pair of abutments 186 and 188 are located at the rear end of each of the sockets 172A-D. The abutments 186 and 188 are spaced equidistantly on opposite sides of the plane 154 and have coplanar top surfaces and co-plan'ar rear surfaces ex tending in planes normal to the plane 154. The abutment 186 and 188 extend between the side walls of the sockets 172A-D at the ends of the sockets and are located adjacent the walls 170 and 176 respectively.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the sockets 172A-D has a pair of electrically isolated conductive strips 190 and 192 associated therewith. The conductive strip 190 includes a U-shaped portion 194 that embraces an outward'extending projection 196 on the wall 176 and a portion that extends rearwardly from the portion 194 to effectively provide exposed conducting surfaces 198 along the wall 176 side of its associated socket 172A-D. The portion 194 includes a threaded opening which positions a screw and wire connecting clamp to provide a wire connecting portion 200 that is located externally of the wall 176 so a bared end of a wire conductor, not shown, may be readily secured to the connectivestrip 190 for purposes of completing a circuit to the conductive surface 198. The conductive strip .rearwardly bent free end of the portion 202. The

threaded opening positions a screw and wire connecting terminal clamp to provide a wire connecting portion 206 externally of the wall 176 so a bared end of a wire conductor, not shown, may be readily secured to the conductive strip 192 for the purpose of completing acircuit to the conducting surfaces 204. The portion v 202 also has an elongated opening 208 centered in the plane 154. The openings 208 in the sockets 172A-D are located so the tip portions 162 may extend into the space between the abutments 186 and 188 in the respective sockets 172AD. As most clearly illustrated in FIG. 4, the support 164 has a plurality of ribs 210 extending outwardly from the exterior of the wall 176. The ribs 210 are spaced between the wire connecting portions 204 and 206 for the respective sockets 172A-D to increase the electrical clearance between the wire connecting portions 200 and 206 in adjacent sockets 172A-D.

The cover 18 is formed of insulating material and is secured on the front side of the supports 164 and 164A bya pair of screws 212 which are threaded into the internally threaded head portions of screws 168, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The cover 18 has a rectangular body portion 214 sized to close substantially all of the front ends of all of the sockets l74A-D, and leave a portion of the front end of each socket exposed through openings 216. Extending outwardly from opposite ends of the body portion are a pair of ears 218 which rest upon the front ends on abutments 220 on the supports 164 and 164A. The ears 218 have openings extending therethrough which receive the screws 212 that secure the cover 18 to the supports 164 and 164A.

The cover 18 also has a pair of passageways 222 and 224 extending therethrough in alignment with the passage which receives the spring biased plungers 184 as shown in FIG. 3 to expose the front end of the plungers 184 to the frontend of the relay 10. The rear surface of the cover 18 is provided with a pair of grooves 226 and 228 which are centered in planes 154 and 156 respectively. The grooves 226 and 228 are interrupted at spaced intervals by partitions 230 and an abutment 232 which have their rear edges positioned adjacent the front edges of the partitions 178 on the supports 164 and the pier 182, respectively when the cover 18 is positioned on thefront sides of the supports 164 and 164A. The grooves 226 and 228 each include a pair of ledges 236 and a space 238 between the ledges 236.

The switches 166 are individually positioned in either of two positions in the sockets 172A-D in the supports 164 and 164A when the cover 106 is removed from the supports 164 and 164A and the switches 116 are inserted from the open end 174 of the sockets 172A-D. Each of the switches includes a rectangular housing 240 formed of a molded base 242 and a molded cover 244 which are preferably formed of molding material so the colors of the base 242 and the cover 244 are contrasting. The base 242 and the cover 244 are secured together when ends of pins 246 extending from the base through openings in the cover 244 are hot upset over portions of the cover 244 to provide the switch 166 with a pair of opposite ends 248 and 250, an internal cavity 252 and a passageway 254 extending through the switch and openings 256 and 258 in the ends 248 and 250, respectively. The cover 244 has portions 260 overlaying portions of the base 242 at the end 248 of the housing 240 so the cover 244 provides the material for the end 248 of the housing and the base 242 provides the material for the end 250 of the housing. Thus colors of the ends 248 and 250 of the switches 166 will be different and the orientation of the switches 166 in the sockets 172A-D may be easily determined by visual observation when the switches 166 are positioned in the sockets 172A-D. The openings 256 and 258 are centered on an axis that is equidistantly spaced between a pair of side walls 262 of the housing 240 and extend in the planes 154 or 156. Each of the side walls 262 has an opening 263 therein. A pair of identical U- shaped stationary contact members 264 are movably mounted in the housing 240 to have a portion exposed in one of the openings 263.

Each of the stationary contact members 264 includes a bight portion 266 and a pair of parallel arms 268 and 270 extending from the bight portion 266. The arm portions 268 of the contact members 264 are movable in slots 272 in the base 242 and each includes a groove 274 having a width greater than ribs 276 that project into the slots 272. The ribs 276 are received within the grooves 274 to limit the movement of the stationary contact members 264 in the housing 240. The arm portions 270 of the contact members 264 extend from the bight portion 266 into the cavity 252 and have noble metal contact portions 278 on their free ends which face and are spaced from the wall which forms the end 250 of the housing 240. The arms 268 and 270 extend in planes normal to the axis of the passageway 254. The bight portions 266 are slightly curved and preferably have a noble metal coating on their outer surfaces 279 and are sized to be received in the openings 263. Positioned between an inner side of the bight portions 266 and abutments 280 on the base 242 are springs 282 which provide a bias for constantly urging the bight portions 266 in a direction away from the axis of the passageway 254 to a position where edges of the grooves 274 engage the ribs 276 and where the surfaces 279 project slightly beyond the planes defined by the side walls 262 so that when the switches 166 are installed in the sockets 172A-D, the surfaces 278 will be pressed against the conducting surfaces 198 and 204.

The switch 166 also includes a plunger assembly 284 which is movable in the passageway 254. The plunger assembly 284 includes a plunger 286, a pair of spring seats 288 and 289, a pair of springs 290 and 291 and a movable contact 292. The plunger 286 has a portion 294 movable in the cavity 252 and portions extending through the openings 256 and 258 to provide operating ends 296 and 298 on the opposite ends of the plunger with each end 296 and 298 located externally of the housing 240. The plunger 286 has a rectangular opening 300 extending between the ends 296 and 298 which is provided by a pair of spaced walls 302 that extend perpendicular to the side walls 262. The opening 300 is divided into two sections by an abutment 304 which extends between the walls 302 and is spaced between the ends 296 and 298. The abutment 304 has a flat surface 306 facing the end 248 and a flat surface 308 facing the end 250 with the surfaces 306 and 308 extending normal to the axis of the plunger 286. The movable contact 292 is formed as an elongated metal part to have a central portion positioned on the surface 308 and contact portions 310 on its opposite ends. The surface 308 positions the movable contact 292 in a plane extending perpendicular to the axis of the plunger 286 and positions the contact portions 310 so the contact portions are adjacent the wall of the cavity 252 provided by the end 250 when the plunger 286 is in a first position along its axis of movement and positions the contact portions 310 in a position where they engage and provide an electrical bridge between the contact portions 278 onthe pair of stationary contact members 264 when the plunger 286 is in a second position along its axis of movement. The spring seats 288 and 289 are identical and are positioned in the opening 300 adjacent the ends of the opening 300 at the operating ends 296 and 298 respectively. Each spring seat 288 and 289 has a central portion positioned on the material of the plunger 286 defining the opening 300 and includes a pair of ears 312 which project outwardly beyond the periphery of the plunger 286 along axes perpendicular to the axis of movement of the plunger 286. The spring 290 is positioned in the opening 300 between the surface 306 and the central portion of the spring seat 288 to constantly urge the spring seat 288 toward the end 296 and the other spring 291 is positioned in the opening 300 between the spring seat 289 and a central portion of the movable contact 292 to constantly urge the movable contact into engagement with the surface 308.

The switches 166 are assembled by positioning the pair of stationary contact members 264 and the pair of springs 282 on the base 242 so the arm portions 268 are received in slots 272 and the springs 282 are positioned between the bight portions 266 and the abutments 280. When the contact members 264 and springs 282 are thus positioned on the base 242, the surfaces 279 will project slightly beyond the side walls 262 and the contact portions 278 will face and be spaced from the wall 250. The plunger assembly 284 is positioned in the passageway 254 with the contact 292 positioned in the space between the contact portions 278 and the wall 250 and the spring seats 288 and 289 respectively located external of the ends 248 and 250. The cover 244 is secured to the base 242 after the stationary contact members 264, springs 282 and plunger are assembled on the base 242 as described.

The cover 18 is secured to the supports 164 and 164A after the switches 166 are inserted into either of two selectable positions in the sockets 172A-D in the supports 164 and 164A from the open front sides of the sockets 172A-D. The centers of the pair of grooves 226 and 228 in the rear surface of the cover 18 will extend in the planes 154 and 156 respectively to provide the space 238 for either of the operating ends 296 or 298 while the ears 312 are positioned on the pair of ledges 236 on opposite sides of the grooves 226 and 228.

As illustrated by FIG. 9, the switch 166 on the left is positioned in the socket 172D in the support 164 to have the end 250 positioned on the abutments 186 and 188 and the switch on the right is positioned in the socket 172A in the support 164A to have the end 248 positioned on the abutments 186 and 188 while the ears 312 on their associated switches are positioned on the ledges 236. When the switches 166 are positioned as indicated, the switch 166 in support 164 will have its operating end 298 engaging one of the tip portions 162 while an opening 216 will expose its end 248 to indicate the orientation of the switch 166 in the support 164. Similarly, the switch 166 in the support 164A will have its operating end 296 engaging one of the tip portions 162 while an opening 216 will expose its end 250 to indicate the orientation of the switch 116 in support 164A.

When the relay 10 is de-energized, the operated portions 132 will be at their most forward or de-energized positions as limited by an engagement between the operated portions 132 and a rear surface on the cover 106. The de-energized position of the operating portions 132 will cause the motion translators 104 to be positioned at their respective de-energized positions and the plungers 286 to be moved to their most forward or deenergized positions where the end 296 of the plunger 286 in the switch 166 in support 164 in FIG. 9 is positioned in the space 238 provided by groove 226 while the end 298 of the plunger 286 in the switch 166 in the support 164A in FIG. 9 is positioned in the space 238 provided by the groove 228.

When the switches 166 in the supports 164 and 164A are positioned as described and the relay 10 is deenergized, the switch 166 in the support 164 will have normally closed contacts and the switch 166 in the support 164A will have normally open contacts. The switches 166 having normally closed contacts will have their associated plunger assemblies 284 positioned so their movable contacts 292 are out of engagement with the surfaces 308 and are pressed against the contact portions 278 by the compressed springs 291 while their associated springs 290 are partly compressed to aid the springs 291 in urging the plunger assemblies 284 rearwardly toward a position where the movable contact 292 will be spaced from the stationary contact portions 278. The switches 166 having normally open contacts will have their associated plunger assemblies 284 positioned so their movable contacts 292 are positioned adjacent the wall 250 and spaced from the stationary contact portions 278. Also, their associated springs 291 will position the central portion of the movable contacts 292 on the surface 308 and the springs 290 will be fully compressed to urge plunger assemblies 284 rearwardly toward a position where the movable contacts 292 will engage the stationary contact portions 278.

The relay is energized when a suitable alternating current source, not shown, and connected to terminals 88, causes the windings within the magnet coil 24 to be energized and induce a magnet flux in the stationary magnet assembly 26 windings the armature 92 which causes the armature 92 to move rearwardly in the reference plane RP against the forces provided by the springs 96 into an energized position where the pole faces 112'engage the pole faces 58. The movement of the armature 92, as guided by the guide members 94, permits the levers 100 to rotate about their respective pivot portions 130 and the motion translators 104 and the plungers of switches 166 to move rearwardly in their associated planes 154 and 156 by the forces supplied by the bias provided by springs 290 and/or 291 in the switch assemblies 16.

The rotation of the levers 100 will cause the springs 102 to be compressed and the operating surfaces 138 to move in planes 154 and 156 a greater distance than the operated portion 132 moves in the reference plane RP. The movement of the operated portion 132 permits all of the motion translators 104 and the plunger assemblies 284 in all of the switches 166 to move rearwardly so that the movable contacts 292 of the switches 166 having normally closed contacts will move to a circuit opening position and the movable'contacts 292 in the switches 166 having normally open contacts will move to a circuit closing position with the stationary contacts 264. The rearward movement of the operating surfaces 138 will also cause plungers 184 to respectively move in planes 154 and 156 in a rearward direction so that the front tips of the plungers 184 are no longer readily visible from the front side of the relay 10 to visually indicate that the relay 10 is energized. Each ofthe plungers 184 is biased by a spring 314 toward the operating surface 138 so that the plungers 184 not only act as indicators for the energized and de-energized state of the relay but also provide a load on the levers 100 so the levers 100 will follow the movements of the armature 92 and prevent the switches 166 from having undesirable overlapping contacts when less than all of the sockets in the supports 164 and 164A are occupied by switches 166 which would cause an unbalanced loading on the levers 100.

When the relay 10 is de-energized after it has been energized, the forces provided by springs 96 will cause the armature 92 to move out of engagement with the pole faces on the stationary magnet 56 and the levers 100 to rotate about their respective pivot portions 130 in a direction which causes the operating surfaces 138 to move forwardly in the planes 154 and 156. The forward movement of the operating surfaces 138 will cause the motion translators 104 and the plungers 286 of the switches 166 to move forwardly and the contacts of the switches 166 having normally closed contacts to close and the switches 166 having normally open contacts to move to their circuit opening positions. In the event it is desired to change the contact functions of any of the switches 166, all that is required is to loosen the pair of screws 212 and remove the cover 18 so that all of the switches 166 are exposed. The conversion of the switching function of any of the switches 166 is accomplished by withdrawing any selected switch 166 from its associated socket inverting the selected switch 166 and re-installing the selected switch 166 in its socket which may be accomplished without disturbing any of the wire connections to the relay. The

conversion is completed after all of the switches 166 are installed in their associated sockets and the cover 18 is repositioned on the front surface of the supports 164 and the screws 212 are retightened.

In addition to providing a means for indicating the energized state of the relay 10 and a means for balancing the operation of the levers 100, the plungers 184 also provide a convenient means for operating the relay 10 manually. The relay 10 may be operated manually when a suitable manual force is applied through a tool, such as a screwdriver, on the front end of one of the plungers 184 to cause the plunger 184 to move rearwardly in the relay 10 which causes all of the components of the relay 10 to move to positions which duplicate their positions when the magnet coil is energized.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims:

What we claim is:

1. In an electromagnetically operated switch, the combination comprising: an insulating support providing a plurality of sockets extending side by side in a row with each socket having an open front end, a pair of electrically isolated conductive strips in each socket with each strip connected to its individual wire connecting terminal portion that is accessible externally of the support, a plurality of electric switches with each switch individually positioned in either of two positions in one of the sockets when the switch is inserted from the open side of its associated socket, each of the switches including a housing having a pair of opposite ends and an internal cavity extending between the opposite ends of the housing, a pair of stationary contact assemblies spaced on opposite sides of a plane through the center of the sockets located in the row, each of the assemblies including a contact portion located within the cavity and a portion extending from the contact portion externally of the housing into engagement with one of the strips, a plunger movable in the plane and extending to provide a portion in the cavity and portions extending through openings in the opposite ends of the housing to provide an operating end on each end of the plunger that extends outwardly from the opposite ends of the housing, a movable contact carried by the plunger to extend along an axis perpendicular to the plane and having contact portions spaced from the stationary contact portions when the plunger is in a first position in the plane and engaging the stationary contact portion to provide an electrical bridge between the stationary contact assemblies when the plunger is in a second position in the plane, a first spring means including a spring seat positioned between a first of the opposite ends of the housing and a first of the operating ends of the plunger and a spring positioned between the first spring seat and the movable contact for pressing a central portion of the movable contact against a portion of the plunger, and a second spring means including a spring seat positioned between a second of the opposite ends of the housing and a second of the operating ends of the plunger and a spring positioned between the second spring seat and the portion of the plunger engaged by the movable contact and a cover secured to the support to provide a closure for portions of the open side of the sockets, said cover having portions engaged by the first spring seat when the switch is positioned in a first of its two positions in the socket for causing the first spring to bias the movable contact into engagement with the stationary contacts and engaged by the second spring seat when the switch is positioned in a second of its two positions in the socket for biasing the plunger to its first position for causing the movable contact to be spaced from the stationary contacts.

2. In an electromagnetically operated relay, the combination comprising: an electromagnet assembly including a stationary magnet, a magnet coil, a first insulating member providing a support for the magnet and coil, and an armature movable in a main plane from a de-energized position into engagement with the magnet when the coil is energized, a motion translating assembly including a second insulating member mounted on a front face of the first member, said second member having a passageway extending therethrough providing surfaces for guiding the movement of the armature, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on the second member to extend in opposite directions from opposite sides of the passageway, each of said levers having a portion engaging a front surface of the armature and extending from its pivot mounting through the main plane to provide a forward facing operating surface that extends in a plane parallel and in spaced relation to the main plane whereby said pair of oppositely extending levers provide operating surfaces that are movable in a pair of secondary planes that extend parallel to and are spaced equidistantly on opposite sides of the main plane, a cover mounted on a front side of the second member said cover having a plurality of openings spaced side by side in a pair of rows so that the openings in one row are centered in one of the pair of secondary planes and the openings in a second of said pair of rows are centered in a second of the pair of secondary planes and a plurality of plungers each extending through one of the openings and having a portion engaging an operating surface on one of the pair of levers, a pair of identical insulating supports mounted on a front surface of the cover and extending in opposite directions from the main plane, each of said supports providing a plurality of sockets extending side by side in a row with each socket having an open front end, and a pair of end walls extending parallel and equidistant from opposite sides of one of the secondary planes, a pair of electrically isolated conductive strips in each socket with each strip positioned adjacent one of the end walls and connected to its individual wire connecting terminal portion that is accessible externally of a side of its associated support that is remote from the main plane, a plurality of switch modules with each module individually positioned in either of two positions in one of the sockets when the module is inserted from the open side of its associated socket, each of the modules including stationary contacts having portions engaging the strips in the socket, a plunger movable in one of the secondary planes and having opposite ends extending to selectively engage a free end on one of the plungers of the motion translating assembly when the switch module is selectively positioned in either of its two positions in its associated socket, a movable contact carried by the plunger and having contact portions engageable with the stationary contacts, and a spring seat and a spring at each of the opposite ends of the plunger, a cover secured on the front side of the insulating supports to provide a closure for portions of each socket in the pair of supports said cover having portions engaged by either of the spring seats on each switch module in the sockets for causing the switch modules to selectively provide a normally open and a normally closed type contact operation when the coil is deenergized and energized respectively.

3. A switch module comprising: a rectangular housing having a pair of end walls, a pair of side walls and an internal cavity, said end walls each having an opening therein centered on an axis that is equidistantly spaced between the side walls and extends perpendicular to the end walls, a pair of stationary contact members movably mounted in the housing adjacent the side walls, each of the members including a Contact portion that extends in a plane normal to the axis and is spaced from one of the end walls and a portion that extends through an opening in its adjacent side wall to provide a surface that extends parallel to the adjacent sidewall, a pair of springs with each spring positioned between a portion of the housing and a portion of one of the contact members and providing a bias for urging the contact members in a direction away from the axis along an axis perpendicular to the axis, a plunger movable along the axis and extending to provide a portion within the cavity and portions extending through the openings in the end walls to provide an operating end on each end of the plunger with each operating end ex- ,tending external of the housing, said plunger having a rectangular opening extending along the axis between the operating ends of the plunger with the opening having walls extending perpendicular to the side walls and an abutment extending across the opening and spaced between the operating ends, a movable contact positioned by the abutment to extend perpendicular to the axis and having contact portions spaced from the contact portions on the stationary contact members when the plunger is at a first position along the axis and engaging the contact portions of the stationary contact members when the plunger is at a second position along the axis, a first spring means including a first spring seat positioned in the plunger opening between a first of the operating ends of the housing and a first of the operating ends of the plunger and a spring positioned in the plunger opening between the first spring seat and the movable contact for pressing the movable contact against the abutment and a second spring means including a second spring seat positioned in the plunger opening between a second of the ends of the housing and a second of the operating ends of the plunger and a second spring positioned in the plunger opening between the second spring seat and the abutment for biasing the plunger to the first position when the second spring seat is in engagement with a fixed surface.

4. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 1 including an electromagnet having a movable armature and means for translating the movement of the arma' ture to the plungers of the switches within the sockets.

5. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 4 wherein the translating means includes a lever and a plunger with the plunger having portions engaging the operating ends of the plungers of a pair of switches that are positioned in a pair of adjacent sockets and a portion engaging the lever.

6. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 2 wherein the armature includes a slot and the armature is guided in the passageway by a means that includes a metal bar extending through the slot and a pair of members positioned on opposite ends of the bar-and having portions engaging side wall portions of the passageway.

7. The structure as recited in claim 6 including a pair of springs each positioned between a member and a front wall of the coil for biasing the armature away from the magnet.

8. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 6 wherein the translating means including a pair of springs positioned between the levers for constantly urging the levers in opposite directions in the passageways and portions on the levers which provide a pivot into engagement with portions of the second member.

9. The switch module as recited in claim 3 wherein each of the pair of stationary contact members has a U-shape with the contact portion secured on one of the legs of the U-shaped member and the portion that extends through the opening is provided by the bight portion of the U-shaped member.

10. The switch module as recited in claim 9 wherein the springs which urge the contact members in a direction perpendicular to the axis are positioned between the bight portions of the stationary contact members and a portion of the housing.

11. The switch module as recited in claim 3 wherein the housing is formed of two parts with one of the parts providing one of the end walls and a second of the two parts providing a second end wall.

12. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 4 wherein the support includes a passageway centered in the plane between two adjacent sockets and extending between the front and the rear ends of the support, and including a spring biased plunger held captive in the support and having portions engaging the translating means and a portion visible through an opening in the cover for the support.

13. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 12 wherein the passageway in the cover is provided with ledges on its opposite side walls which are engaged by portions of a tool that includes portions that engage a free end of the plunger in said passageway.

fIg;;g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 35, 5 Dated September 10. 197

Inventofls) Walter C. Karch et a1 It is certified that error appears in the aBoTre-identiiied patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

C01. 11, line 5, cancelTwindings" and insert -and--.

' Signed and Scaled this Thirteenth Day of July 1976 [SEAL] A nest:

RUTH C. MASON Arresting Officer C. MARSHALL DANN Commissioner of Patents and Trademark:

TED STATES PATENT OFFICE QERHFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3, 35, 25 Dated September 10. 197 4 Inventor(s) Walter C. Karch et a1 It is certified that error appears in the aBoi-identiiied patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

C01. 11, line 5, 0ance1 "windings" and insert --and--.

Signed and Scaled this 0 Thirteenth Day of July 1976 [SEAL] Arrest:

Q RUTH C. MASON Arresting 0ffl'cer C. MARSHALL DANN Commissioner pf Palems and Trademarks 

1. In an electromagnetically operated switch, the combination comprising: an insulating support providing a plurality of sockets extending side by side in a row with each socket having an open front end, a pair of electrically isolated conductive strips in each socket with each strip connected to its individual wire connecting terminal portion that is accessible externally of the support, a plurality of electric switches with each switch individually positioned in either of two positions in one of the sockets when the switch is inserted from the open side of its associated socket, each of the switches including a housing having a pair of opposite ends and an internal cavity extending between the opposite ends of the housing, a pair of stationary contact assemblies spaced on opposite sides of a plane through the center of the sockets located in the row, each of the assemblies including a contact portion located within the cavity and a portion extending from the contact portion externally of the housing into engagement with one of the strips, a plunger movable in the plane and extending to provide a portion in the cavity and portions extending through openings in the opposite ends of the housing to provide an operating end on each end of the plunger that extends outwardly from the opposite ends of the housing, a movable contact carried by the plunger to extend along an axis perpendicular to the plane and having contact portions spaced from the stationary contact portions when the plunger is in a first position in the plane and engaging the stationary contact portion to provide an electrical bridge between the stationary contact assemblies when the plunger is in a second position in the plane, a first spring means including a spring seat positioned between a first of the opposite ends of the housing and a first of the operating ends of the plunger and a spring positioned between the first spring seat and the movable contact for pressing a central portion of the movable contact against a portion of the plunger, and a second spring means including a spring seat positioned between a second of the opposite ends of the housing and a second of the operating ends of the plunger and a spring positioned between the second spring seat and the portion of the plunger engaged by the movable contact and a cover secured to the support to provide a closure for portions of the open side of the sockets, said cover having portions engaged by the first spring seat when the switch is positioned in a first of its two positions in the socket for causing the first spring to bias the movable contact into engagement with the stationary contacts and engaged by the second spring seat when the switch is positioned in a second of its two positions in the socket for biasing the plunger to its first position for causing the movable contact to be spaced from the stationary contacts.
 2. In an electromagnetically operated relay, the combination comprising: an electromagnet assembly including a stationary magnet, a magnet coil, a first insulating member providing a support for the magnet and coil, and an armature movable in a main plane from a De-energized position into engagement with the magnet when the coil is energized, a motion translating assembly including a second insulating member mounted on a front face of the first member, said second member having a passageway extending therethrough providing surfaces for guiding the movement of the armature, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on the second member to extend in opposite directions from opposite sides of the passageway, each of said levers having a portion engaging a front surface of the armature and extending from its pivot mounting through the main plane to provide a forward facing operating surface that extends in a plane parallel and in spaced relation to the main plane whereby said pair of oppositely extending levers provide operating surfaces that are movable in a pair of secondary planes that extend parallel to and are spaced equidistantly on opposite sides of the main plane, a cover mounted on a front side of the second member said cover having a plurality of openings spaced side by side in a pair of rows so that the openings in one row are centered in one of the pair of secondary planes and the openings in a second of said pair of rows are centered in a second of the pair of secondary planes and a plurality of plungers each extending through one of the openings and having a portion engaging an operating surface on one of the pair of levers, a pair of identical insulating supports mounted on a front surface of the cover and extending in opposite directions from the main plane, each of said supports providing a plurality of sockets extending side by side in a row with each socket having an open front end, and a pair of end walls extending parallel and equidistant from opposite sides of one of the secondary planes, a pair of electrically isolated conductive strips in each socket with each strip positioned adjacent one of the end walls and connected to its individual wire connecting terminal portion that is accessible externally of a side of its associated support that is remote from the main plane, a plurality of switch modules with each module individually positioned in either of two positions in one of the sockets when the module is inserted from the open side of its associated socket, each of the modules including stationary contacts having portions engaging the strips in the socket, a plunger movable in one of the secondary planes and having opposite ends extending to selectively engage a free end on one of the plungers of the motion translating assembly when the switch module is selectively positioned in either of its two positions in its associated socket, a movable contact carried by the plunger and having contact portions engageable with the stationary contacts, and a spring seat and a spring at each of the opposite ends of the plunger, a cover secured on the front side of the insulating supports to provide a closure for portions of each socket in the pair of supports said cover having portions engaged by either of the spring seats on each switch module in the sockets for causing the switch modules to selectively provide a normally open and a normally closed type contact operation when the coil is deenergized and energized respectively.
 3. A switch module comprising: a rectangular housing having a pair of end walls, a pair of side walls and an internal cavity, said end walls each having an opening therein centered on an axis that is equidistantly spaced between the side walls and extends perpendicular to the end walls, a pair of stationary contact members movably mounted in the housing adjacent the side walls, each of the members including a contact portion that extends in a plane normal to the axis and is spaced from one of the end walls and a portion that extends through an opening in its adjacent side wall to provide a surface that extends parallel to the adjacent side wall, a pair of springs with each spring positioned between a portion of the housing and a portion of one of the contact members and providing a bias for urging the contact meMbers in a direction away from the axis along an axis perpendicular to the axis, a plunger movable along the axis and extending to provide a portion within the cavity and portions extending through the openings in the end walls to provide an operating end on each end of the plunger with each operating end extending external of the housing, said plunger having a rectangular opening extending along the axis between the operating ends of the plunger with the opening having walls extending perpendicular to the side walls and an abutment extending across the opening and spaced between the operating ends, a movable contact positioned by the abutment to extend perpendicular to the axis and having contact portions spaced from the contact portions on the stationary contact members when the plunger is at a first position along the axis and engaging the contact portions of the stationary contact members when the plunger is at a second position along the axis, a first spring means including a first spring seat positioned in the plunger opening between a first of the operating ends of the housing and a first of the operating ends of the plunger and a spring positioned in the plunger opening between the first spring seat and the movable contact for pressing the movable contact against the abutment and a second spring means including a second spring seat positioned in the plunger opening between a second of the ends of the housing and a second of the operating ends of the plunger and a second spring positioned in the plunger opening between the second spring seat and the abutment for biasing the plunger to the first position when the second spring seat is in engagement with a fixed surface.
 4. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 1 including an electromagnet having a movable armature and means for translating the movement of the armature to the plungers of the switches within the sockets.
 5. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 4 wherein the translating means includes a lever and a plunger with the plunger having portions engaging the operating ends of the plungers of a pair of switches that are positioned in a pair of adjacent sockets and a portion engaging the lever.
 6. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 2 wherein the armature includes a slot and the armature is guided in the passageway by a means that includes a metal bar extending through the slot and a pair of members positioned on opposite ends of the bar and having portions engaging side wall portions of the passageway.
 7. The structure as recited in claim 6 including a pair of springs each positioned between a member and a front wall of the coil for biasing the armature away from the magnet.
 8. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 6 wherein the translating means including a pair of springs positioned between the levers for constantly urging the levers in opposite directions in the passageways and portions on the levers which provide a pivot into engagement with portions of the second member.
 9. The switch module as recited in claim 3 wherein each of the pair of stationary contact members has a U-shape with the contact portion secured on one of the legs of the U-shaped member and the portion that extends through the opening is provided by the bight portion of the U-shaped member.
 10. The switch module as recited in claim 9 wherein the springs which urge the contact members in a direction perpendicular to the axis are positioned between the bight portions of the stationary contact members and a portion of the housing.
 11. The switch module as recited in claim 3 wherein the housing is formed of two parts with one of the parts providing one of the end walls and a second of the two parts providing a second end wall.
 12. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 4 wherein the support includes a passageway centered in the plane between two adjacent sockets and extending between the front and the rear ends of the support, and including a spring biased plunger hEld captive in the support and having portions engaging the translating means and a portion visible through an opening in the cover for the support.
 13. The electromagnetic switch as recited in claim 12 wherein the passageway in the cover is provided with ledges on its opposite side walls which are engaged by portions of a tool that includes portions that engage a free end of the plunger in said passageway. 